Features

April 23, 2008

Nepal: A New Parliament, A New Transition

To the surprise of many international observers and many Nepalese, Maoists dominated elections in April for Nepal's new Constituent Assembly. Before election day, the Maoists were projected to win no more than 20% of the vote. According to an official tally, however, the Maoists won 240 of the 601 seats available through direct vote and a third of the 335 seats allocated by proportional representation.

Although the Maoists did not win a majority of seats, they have a clear advantage over two other major parties-the ruling Nepali Congress (NC) and the United Marxist Leninist Party (UML), which left the transitional government in recognition of the Maoists' success. Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala has said that the NC will decide whether or not to step out only after the first meeting of the Assembly.

The focus on the relatively peaceful elections, however, is shifting to the transition from monarchy to republic. The new Constituent Assembly is expected to rewrite the country's constitution, act as an interim government, and oversee the exit of King Gyanendra. The Maoists, under the leadership of Pushpa Kamal Dahal (often referred to by his nickname Prachanda) have begun meeting with leaders of the NC, the UML, and the royalists as well as international donors and governments, including China, India and the EU. Although the United States classifies the Maoists as a terrorist organization, the US Ambassador to Nepal has said that the US will continue to provide assistance to the Maoist-led government.

For a successful peaceful transition, the new government will have to address the country's legacy of human rights abuse and violence. The Maoist party has pledged a continued commitment to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), signed in 2006, which calls for the formation of a truth and reconciliation commission and a disappearance commission, and for a reparations program. The party has also pledged to integrate its 23,000-member military force into the royalist army, a force of 90,000.